I really like garlic bread. But not the pre-made ones that are bought from supermarkets as it's almost always made with butter which I won't eat and if it's made with oil it loses most of its flavour during the production. That's just my opinion. But I do enjoy homemade garlic bread in all its various forms. And this recipe is fantastic as it's simple to make and with very few ingredients and works really well on a platter as part of a buffet table. The recipe is from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen
by Donna Klein. The first time I made this garlic puree I wasn't convinced at all. The whole time the garlic cloves were boiling...I thought it surely couldn't end up being tasty..but as the plate of croutons disappeared I realised that I was very wrong. Then I tried one myself and was completely bowled over by the taste. The garlic puree is mellow and smooth and as it's melted into the crispy crouton the textures are amazing. Always good to have that extra bit of crunch! lol. So please don't be put off by the cooking process...keep the faith...and try the end product...its all the flavour of garlic bread without the huge dollops of butter or preservatives you find in the shop bought ones, with just 1/2 tbsp of olive oil it's a real treasure of a recipe. Thank you Donna Klein!
(Recipe from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by D/Klein)
2 heads of garlic, separated into cloves, skins on
1 cup of veggie stock
2 cups of water
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large long baguette, sliced into 1/2" slices
In a small saucepan, combine the garlic, stock and water,bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, birskly for 1 hour. Or until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
Pre-heat your oven to 400'f/200'c/Gas Mark 6 and arrange the sliced baguette evenly over a baking sheet. Bake in the middle of the oven for 5 minutes...or until lightly toasted. Take out of the oven and then onto cooling racks to stop them going soft.
Drain the garlic cloves and retain the leftover stock/water. Gently push the garlic from each clove into a bowl and discard the skins. Using a stick blender or fork break up the garlic and add in the leftover stock/water and the oil and keep blending or beating until the garlic mix is smooth.
With a 1/2 tsp measure spoon some garlic puree on each crouton and spread to cover. Serve at room temprature.
Enjoy!
